Washington, D.C., Roll Call for week ending March 7

WASHINGTON — Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the week ending March 7.

Along with roll call votes this week, the Senate also passed the Coast Guard Authorization Act (S. 524), to authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard.

The House also passed: the Federal Contractor Cybersecurity Vulnerability Reduction Act (H.R. 872), to require contractors to implement a vulnerability disclosure policy consistent with NIST guidelines; the GOOD Act (H.R. 1515), to increase access to agency guidance documents; a resolution (H. Res. 153), expressing condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims of the crash of American Eagle Flight 5342 and PAT 25; and the Recruiting Families Using Data Act (H.R. 579), to improve foster and adoptive parent recruitment and retention.

House

GOVERNMENT SPENDING STANDARDS: The House has passed the Safe and Smart Federal Purchasing Act (H.R. 856), sponsored by Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., to require the Office of Management and Budget to review what impacts on national security result from using a lowest price source selection process for spending by federal agencies. Donalds said: “Focusing on price, instead of other technical or operational factors in federal procurement, can result in agencies cutting corners, long-term value being sacrificed, or in its worse aspects, even potential risks to America’s national security.” The vote, on March 3, was unanimous with 417 yeas.

YEAS: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-3rd

POSTAL SERVICE TRAFFIC DEATHS: The House has passed the Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act (H.R. 758), sponsored by Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., to require the Postal Service to collect and publish information on traffic deaths and injuries involving its vehicles. In arguing for the need for the bill, Connolly said that “in 2021 and 2022, 39 percent of companies carrying U.S. mail repeatedly violated rules preventing driver exhaustion. One contractor violated these critical driver safety protocols more than 200 times over a five-year period.” The vote, on March 3, was 402 yeas to 16 nays.

YEAS: Perez

REGULATING TIRE MANUFACTURING: The House has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 61), sponsored by Rep. Morgan H. Griffith, R-Va., to disapprove of and void an Environmental Protection Agency rule issued last November that adopted hazardous air emissions standards for manufacturers of rubber tires. Griffith said voiding the rule would support the economy and uphold “the principle of not doing willy-nilly regulations at the end of an administration in order to pursue something that does not have verifiable data indicating specific and significant pollution.” An opponent, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., said the resolution “puts the profits of billionaire corporate polluters over the health and welfare of the American people, and it makes a mockery of Republican promises to make America healthy again.” The vote, on March 5, was 216 yeas to 202 nays.

YEAS: Perez

APPLIANCE ENERGY STANDARDS: The House has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 42), sponsored by Rep. Andrew S. Clyde, R-Ga., to disapprove of and void an Energy Department rule issued last October that tightened energy efficiency standards for appliances, air conditioners, and other equipment. Clyde said: “This resolution would eliminate Biden-era energy conservation certification and labeling regulations, ensuring that American consumers, not Washington bureaucrats, decide which appliances best fit their needs.” An opponent, Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., said reduced energy efficiency would “cost everyone money” and create more confusion for manufacturers and consumers who would lose information about how much energy an appliance uses. The vote, on March 5, was 222 yeas to 203 nays.

YEAS: Perez

MARINE ARCHAEOLOGY: The House has passed a resolution (S.J. Res. 11), sponsored by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., that would disapprove of and void a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management rule issued last September to require energy companies to identify archaeological sites in the ocean as part of their project application process. A supporter, Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., said: “Under the rule in question, operators must comply with this blanket mandate, even in areas with no known archaeological risks, adding millions in unnecessary costs and delays despite existing state and federal protections under the National Historic Preservation Act.” An opponent, Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., said: “The rule simply states that future surveys need to adhere to minimum standards to be used for archaeological reports. No matter how my colleagues slice it, this rule will not cause a substantial financial burden to operators.” The vote, on March 6, was 221 yeas to 202 nays, with 1 voting present.

YEAS: Perez

CENSURING REPRESENTATIVE: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 189), sponsored by Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., to censure Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, for repeatedly disrupting President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress on Tuesday evening. Newhouse said Green violated the principles of “respect for each other and respect for the responsibility that each one of us has been given and has been tasked with.” Green said: “I would do it again. I have to be candid with the gentleman. I am not trying to insult him in some way. This is a matter of principle. This is a matter of conscience. There are people suffering in this country because they don’t have health care.” The vote, on March 6, was 224 yeas to 198 nays, with 2 voting present.

YEAS: Perez

Senate

EDUCATION SECRETARY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Linda McMahon to be education secretary. McMahon was Small Business Administrator for the first half of the first Trump administration; previously, she was co-founder and CEO of Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment, and a two-time Republican candidate to be senator in Connecticut. A supporter, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said McMahon “did a great job running the Small Business Administration in the last Trump administration. I have no reason to believe that she cannot run the Department of Education.” An opponent, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said “a vote for Mrs. McMahon is a vote for draconian cuts to education and rising property taxes for middle-class and suburban American families.” The vote, on March 3, was 51 yeas to 45 nays.

NAYS: Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Patty Murray, D-Wash.

REGULATING DIGITAL ASSET SYSTEMS: The Senate has passed a resolution (S.J. Res. 3), sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to disapprove of and void an Internal Revenue Service rule regulating the computer infrastructure that enables decentralized finance systems, including cryptocurrencies. Cruz said the rule “would risk the privacy of millions of Americans because software developers would be required to collect personal information and pass it on to the IRS.” The vote, on March 4, was 70 yeas to 27 nays.

NAYS: Cantwell, Murray

DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Todd Blanche to be deputy attorney general. Blanche represented Donald Trump in several recent legal cases; he is a former prosecutor in the Justice Department’s Southern District of New York division. A supporter, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, cited Blanche’s removal from a law firm as punishment for representing Trump in saying that Blanche “put his reputation on the line and he put his career on the line to fight against Jack Smith’s and District Attorney Bragg’s rampant lawfare, and he handled these cases with professional excellence.” An opponent, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said: “Since the president has taken office, we have already witnessed the weaponization of the justice system. Mr. Blanche will not provide the necessary independence to avoid that.” The vote, on March 5, was 52 yeas to 46 nays.

NAYS: Cantwell, Murray

REGULATING DIGITAL PAYMENTS: The Senate has passed a resolution (S.J. Res. 28), sponsored by Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., to disapprove of and void a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule issued last year that regulated digital payment systems offered by nonbank entities. Ricketts said the rule was repetitive of existing state and federal regulations and would likely incur much higher compliance costs than the CFPB has estimated. A resolution opponent, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said ending the rule would mean “effectively telling tech companies that want to offer payments: Do whatever you want. The floor is yours. No one will be watching you.” The vote, on March 5, was 51 yeas to 47 nays.

NAYS: Cantwell, Murray

HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICIAL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Troy Edgar to be the Homeland Security Department’s deputy secretary. Edgar was a Homeland Security official in the first Trump administration; previously he was founder and CEO of the Global Conductor consultancy and mayor of Los Alamitos, Calif.; most recently, Edgar has been a partner at IBM. The vote, on March 6, was 53 yeas to 43 nays.

NAYS: Cantwell, Murray